PARTY leaders in the European Parliament have given a cool response to Romano Prodi’s call to forge a common front with the Commission in the Convention on Europe’s future against plans to give more powers to member states.

European Voice

5/14/03, 5:00 PM CET

Updated 4/12/14, 8:47 AM CET

Prodi held talks with Pat Cox, the president of the Parliament, and group leaders in Strasbourg on Tuesday (13 May).

An official present at the meeting said Prodi told them that the “time has arrived for working jointly in this last phase [of the Convention’s work]”.

However, while referring to “natural cooperation” between the two institutions, Prodi stopped short of proposing any concrete steps they might take together within the Convention.

“My feeling is that he wanted to avoid having a ‘no’ as a reply, as he felt that they [the group leaders] were rather non-committal,” the official added.

Cox described the discussion as “useful”, without going into more detail.

Many MEPs have not forgiven Prodi and his team for secretly drafting a constitution project called Penelope, which did no favours to the Parliament.

“Tactically, it was a very bad step. And the Parliament cannot forget it,” an assembly official said.

The lack of enthusiasm for Prodi’s coalition plan also stems from a reluctance expressed by MEPs on the Convention.

Last week, Spanish MEP Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, a praesidium member, warned that such an alliance would be perceived as a “Brussels against the rest” coalition and lead to a hardening of positions by member states.